Rally to Oppose New Oil Drilling Off Central Coast

Santa Cruz for Change

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR
CONTACT: Deirdre Des Jardins

July 23, 2009
831 566-6320

**Rally begins at 12:00 noon **

Local Residents Hold Rally, Urge Legislators to Oppose New Oil Drilling, Support Oil Severance Tax

Santa Cruz residents oppose plan to open Central Coast to new drilling for the first time in 40 years

As the California budget bill moves to the state legislature, local residents of Santa Cruz will hold a rally in front of Chevron at noon on July 23, where they will call on the legislature to oppose new drilling off the California Coast, and instead pass an oil severance tax that will raise $1 billion a year from existing leases. The proposal to drill up to 30 new wells was inserted into the budget at the request of a Texas oil company, and championed by the Governor and Republican legislative leaders. The company offered a $100 million payment for the new lease.

"California is the third largest oil-producing state in the country." said Deirdre Des Jardins, a resident of Abel Maldonado's state Senate district. "Yet we are still giving away the oil from existing leases as if it was the 1800s. We are asking our state legislators to oppose any deals for new oil leases in California and instead ask the oil companies to pay a fair price for the oil they are currently pumping from our ground. If Alaska under Governor Sarah Palin can charge 25% for their oil, we can charge 10%." Chevron, the second largest oil company in the U.S., has its headquarters in San Ramon. The company made profits of $1.84 billion in the first quarter of 2009, and is also profiting from a $2.5 billion corporate tax cut passed in February as part of the previous budget deal.

WHAT: Rally to Oppose New Oil Drilling, Support Oil Severance Tax

WHO: Santa Cruz Residents

WHERE: Chevron Station, 404 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz
(corner of Soquel & Ocean)

WHEN: 12:00 noon, July 23, 2009

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